


Crossing the Rubicon

by KangKorandKoloth



Series: Four Seasons [1]
Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 12:52:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3570362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KangKorandKoloth/pseuds/KangKorandKoloth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hot summers night and against her better judgement Nanao takes her Captain up on the offer of a moonlit walk. T rating just to be safe</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crossing the Rubicon

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic. I really hope you like it. I'm just getting back into writing after a little time off and would love to know if there's anything I could do better so please let me know in the comments if there is. Happy reading :)

The night was hot and unusually light due to the full moon shining down onto the nearby buildings and through her window, cruelly stealing away any attempt at sleep.

Lying in bed, Nanao kicked the covers away from her body in a futile attempt at cooling down and drifting off. The air; stale and muggy with the scent of sweat and the uncomfortable cling of clothing to her small frame put the final nail in the coffin of a decent night’s repose. Consideration had also been given to the removal of her thin nightgown but discarded prudishly; she couldn’t help but remember that this was not her home but her workplace. Merely a room provided out of obligation and something she was grateful for but not somewhere, she could do that. What if someone came looking for her, she’d worried. The Squad was nothing if perhaps over friendly and for many knocking would not occur to them. Her checks reddened at the mere thought of the gossip that would follow, abhorrent for someone of her rank. Some members would never let it go, even if nothing was ever said to her she mused.

Reluctantly, she sat up from her futon angrily resigning herself to the frustration of the heat and lack of sleep. If the work were to be done tomorrow then she would need to be in top condition and being up all night would do nothing but hinder this. She yawned, body yearning for the sleep that would not come and decided to make a last ditch attempt by opening her window to see if there was a breeze.

Before she could make it across the room, a dull thunk of stone striking wood gently dripped into her consciousness from the direction of the window, awakening her protesting senses and encouraging her normally agile mind to find the source of it.

Logic dictated that it was unlikely to be an intruder, even without her glasses and the blurred vision that went hand in hand with that; it was more than possible to know there was nowhere an intruder could hide in her minimalist room and any other danger would have resulted in a visit from one of the lower seats. This additional distraction from sleep irritated her though and she wished to eliminate the source.

Searching round the room beginning to think this had all been a figment of imagination and exhaustion, her attention was drawn back to the window as she heard the sound again, then twice more in quick succession the last one sounding more as if it hit the masonry just below the sill and leaving no doubt in her mind that she really had heard a sound.

She slid the window across hoping to put the issue to rest and finally make that one last attempt at sleep to feel the sharp breeze of something flying past her ear and hitting the wooden floor a little distance behind her. From the ground below, she heard a familiar voice mumble a curse.

Her eyes scanned the moon-drenched courtyard and saw him. Her Captain was standing a distance away looking up at her window in his hands several small pebbles probably stolen from the barrack’s ornamental garden, his hat lay on the ground giving her full view of his face, a rare occurrence indeed.  
He was smiling; she noticed that in the light of the moon. It smoothed his features making him look younger than the man she knew on a day-to-day basis. Begrudgingly she had to admit she liked that smile, roguish but kind and inviting. It made her feel safe, despite what she might show to him or the rest of the world.

“Did I hit you? I’m sorry, just trying to get your attention”

His voice jolted her away from her thoughts and back to the man in front of her. She couldn’t make out properly but she thought he swayed slightly, his voice perhaps slurred. Was he drunk she wondered? It certainly wouldn’t have been the first time she’d seen him like that, it reminded her how trying he could be to work for at times, if it wasn’t the laziness it was this. In darker times after longer days, she had wondered what it would be like to work for the other captains.

She decided it best to give him the benefit of the doubt and instead persuade him back to his room. No doubt he’d been out and was on his way back anyway, it shouldn’t take much do and whatever he wanted could definitely wait until a decent hour; but before she could speak, he beat her to it, perhaps spurred on by the lack of response to his question.

“Beautiful night tonight don’t you think?”

Sighing, the time far too late for small talk and the memory of the mountain of paperwork the morning would bring, she replied

“Go to bed sir, it’s late” adding as an afterthought but not really believing it “You’ll regret this in the morning”

He laughed in response

“Don’t you want to know why I’ve been trying to get your attention?”

“Can’t it wait?” she half pleaded, the breeze from the window mercifully doing its job and the possibility of sleep seeming more achievable to her.  
That grin played across his face still, his persistence both irritating and intriguing her all at once. Despite his usual demeanour, she had to admit, it was virtually unheard of to seek her out so long after the working day had ended.

“Come out and play sweet, lovely Nanao-chan. The moon is really something tonight”

Irritation quickly won out over intrigue at the realisation they were playing this game again. A well-worn routine and one he never seemed to get bored of. This was in no way something she wished to be kept up for when he could play at it all he wanted tomorrow

“I have work tomorrow, as do you. Go to bed”

“What of it?” his voice warm and persuasive “You work far too hard Nanao-chan, a little fun once in a while won’t kill you”

Her head held firm on her previous refusal knowing that leaving this room and forgoing sleep would cost her dearly the next day; she scrabbled around for another excuse to give him.

“I’m not dressed for it.” She replied instantly cringing and cursing her lack of imagination, he wouldn’t take that for an answer

“I can wait, come down” He urged

The insistence caught her attention; rejection from her was normally something he took in his stride, an occupational hazard she guessed. Yet, here he was – trying to convince her otherwise, this was definitely a first.

Her head still said no but gut feeling was telling her to go down. It would by no means be work related or life and death; he would have summoned her to the office and told her directly if it was. Most likely it would be an anti-climax bought on by the sake and leading to early morning regrets over multiple cups of coffee for her but still she couldn’t quite let it go.

Perhaps he saw the conflict in her eyes even from that distance but onwards he pressed

“Come on, what have you got to lose?” He looked right at her and she saw the slightest glimmer of his familiar determination and made up her mind. He was not going to let it go. Taking a deep breath and sighing outwardly she replied,

“Ok if it’ll get you off my back I’ll come down. I need to dress can you wait there?”

His smile only widened at her crumpled resolve

“That’s my girl”  
*******  
By the time Nanao had slipped on yesterday’s clothes and shuffled down the stairs to the courtyard she’d changed her mind about this venture at least four times. A pang of anticipation mixed with slight trepidation at whatever was to come. Doubt was also creeping in, she wondered if he would have given up by the time she got there, it could well have been his stupid idea of a joke and one she would make him pay dearly for in the morning. Still, she supposed if he wasn’t there a brief venture into the fresh air might help with her sleep.

He was there though, hat on now and leaning on the wall near the door, head tilted downwards and eyes half closed. He turned to look at her as she stepped through the door

“Good choice, I was half expecting you to change your mind”

“You have no idea,”

Straightening up he held out his hand to her,

“You’re here now that’s the main thing”

Eying the hand with suspicion, it offered more contact with her captain than she was sure she was comfortable with. Trying to decide whether to take it or not he asked

“You coming?”

Before she could answer, he grabbed her hand regardless, his palm warm, enveloping her's completely and started to walk. For a few seconds she lagged behind the pace unexpectedly quick until speeding up to match it she caught up to walk by his side.

“Where are we going?” She asked. He didn’t reply as they headed out of the compound and towards a wooded area nearby.

She could really appreciate the breeze out here. The chill was refreshing and felt nice against her skin. The feeling of trepidation was vanishing the further they progressed, if she was honest she was beginning to enjoy the impromptu adventure.

Every so often, he would throw a causal remark in her direction, small talk about nothing in particular and she responded in kind. Again unusual for them she noted, after knowing each other for as long as they had conversation had never been an issue, in fact, she would describe him as the man who wouldn’t shut up, but tonight it felt like their usual dialogue was unsuitable. She didn’t dislike the silence it was comfortable in a way it wouldn’t have been with anyone else however, the number of abnormalities from this situation were beginning to stack up and she didn’t know how to feel about this.

As they entered the woods, velveteen darkness entrapped them, thickets of trees blocking out the night sky and the breeze. The air was warm and heavy becoming almost stifling as they pressed onwards. The ground was littered with branches and a few times, she found herself stumbling as they kept up the brisk pace. A larger branch took Nanao by surprise and she fell harder than the previous times letting go of his hand stretching her arms out in front of her and bracing for the impact that never came.

To her shock, she found arms wrapping around her petite frame, pulling her away from the ground and closer to him. The sudden contact made her stomach flip all near misses forgotten. It seemed like time had frozen momentarily as they stayed locked in position, her heart thrumming the beat rushing through her head. Nanao desperately trying to process the situation in which she now found herself. She was tense knowing this was the closest she had ever been to him before; her back rested against his chest his arms around her waist. He could probably feel how rigid she was in this position, not being able to see his face made it difficult to gauge any reaction on her Kyoraku’s part. She was close enough to smell his cologne, something flowery she couldn’t quite put her finger on but the epitome of him though she noted.His breathing was calm and measured; this didn’t seem to faze him at all, not that it surprised her, his reputation preceded him and she had plenty of first-hand experience of it. The longer they stayed fixed like this the more she began to relax, the arms circling around her gave a sense of protection. It was comforting in a way and made part of her want to lean in closer to him, to keep that feeling for a bit longer.

“You ok, did you hurt yourself?” The purr of his voice in her ear, breath tickling the lobe and sending an involuntary shiver down her spine, snapped her back to reality, he sounded a little worried.

“I’m fine, thank you for catching me” she stepped forward freeing herself from his arms and looking up to flash a reassuring smile at him. She saw his brow, furrowed and anxious; relax as he grinned back in return.Taking her hand again, they returned to their journey heading towards the dip of a small hill

“Nearly there” He promised, “It’ll be worth the wait”

She certainly hoped so, the heat was beginning to get to her again, thin strands of black hair clung to her sweat drenched brow, flickering in her peripheries as they moved and her legs were beginning to ache. They had come farther than she realised and despite keeping her training up, it was peacetime and long walks weren’t part of her daily routine.  
The trees began to thin, the ground changing from dusty and firm into softer, yellow sand more yielding underfoot. They slowed, finding themselves in a large clearing, water stretching out before them, a hidden oasis. The sky above was clear and stars sparkled in pool’s reflection casting ripples of light across the area, the wind had returned soothing her hot forehead and causing a gentle rustle of leaves to be heard. Holding her breathe she tried to soak the magnificent sight in front of her.

He placed a hand on her shoulder inclining his head towards her to murmur

“I told you it’d be worth the trip” He was so much closer than she realised and flinching the slightest bit; a knot of anticipation formed in her stomach. Anticipation of what she did not know.

“It’s amazing, however did you find it?” she gasped.

He smiled, relishing her obvious delight

“Enjoy, my sweet Nanao Chan. The night is young yet”

The sand was rubbing uncomfortably against her sandals making her long to remove them. He’d made their purpose here no less clear but at least indicated time was on their side, spurring her on to slip the offending footwear off wriggling bare toes in the resulting heat of the shore. She felt like a kid again.

Turning her attentions to the water, she considered how the cool liquid would feel against her tired and sweat coated body. It was horribly tempting and if alone she wouldn’t have hesitated in throwing everything to the wind, stripping off and swimming. For now, she conceded, paddling would have to do and set off pulling up her robe to stop it getting wet. The water lapped at her feet soothing her tired muscles; truly, it was bliss.

She looked back to the shore to see Kyoraku standing where she had left him, a contented observer it would seem. Nanao wondered why he wasn’t down here with her, doubting paddling was really his idea of fun but desiring his company nevertheless. She half suspected he was giving her space to explore this little slice of paradise in her own way, a gesture she appreciated as much as all the other events of tonight.

“Sir, come and join me,” she suggested “the water is divine”

His rebuttal disappointed her

“I’m fine here” and reiterated “this is for you, enjoy it”

Later, even after a good night’s sleep and some time to reflect, Nanao would still be unsure as to what drove her next actions. It could have been anything from the lack of sleep, to the sheer novelty of the whole operation that found her striding back up towards her commanding officer and taking his hand. It was almost as if gut instinct took over leaving any lingering rationality far behind.

“Join me” she insisted tugging gently at his arm in an attempt to get him to follow her “I want you to, please?” she added sensing something, perhaps a trace of resistance in him.

Kyoraku looked at her, she could sense his eyes scanning her face, darting across its contours looking for something. Nanao’s eyes met his, trying to get a read on what might be going through his head, his features filled with a look she’d never seen before. Her instincts told her he wanted to come, she didn’t know how but this was once thing she was certain of but there was a block. Nothing tangible but definitely there. It was almost as if he was asking himself permission to follow her.

After what seemed like a lifetime and long enough for Nanao to begin to question her actions, he nodded his agreement and followed her back down to the water’s edge.  
Dipping he toes back into the water to wash off the sand, she encouraged him to do the same. For a moment, they stood there lost in time and the peace of each other’s company, the water swirling round them in time to some invisible current.

“You were right, this is good, thank you” Nanao broke the silence remembering her promise to thank him

“It’s really something isn’t it?”

She nodded looking across the water. It was just like him to do something like this. He noticed the little things, like how late she’d been staying at the office recently, trying to keep on top of things. They weren’t busy by any means but she liked to stay ahead and there was always so much to do. She realised how many times tonight he’d mentioned that she needed to relax, have fun enjoy herself. Maybe he’d been thinking it for a while and this had been his way of making sure she did.Until this moment it hadn’t even dawned on her the toll all her work was taking on her wellbeing. Perhaps she needed someone like him in her life. To keep her balanced and to make sure the lighter side of life was taken care off. Hell to make sure she was taken care of.

She smiled inwardly to herself, thinking back on their relationship of many years and all they’d been through. After everything else, no matter what changed; He was the constant, and right now she was so incredibly grateful for that.

Nanao turned to look at her captain; he was staring up at the moon apparently lost in musings of his own. Before she under stood what she was doing, reaching up on her tip toes guided by forces unknown, she planted a gentle kiss on Kyoraku’s cheek, her lips brushing against his stubble. She felt him jolt at the unexpected contact as she placed her feet back on the ground. He swung round to look at her, his face a mixture of surprise and something resembling amusement, mouth open ever so slightly. She could see in his eyes, he was desperately trying to make sense of what had just happened although the rest of his face didn’t quite show it.

For a split second she panicked. A little voice in the back of her mind was screaming about the impropriety of the situation, about how she’d kissed her commanding officer – the one man whose romantic advances she’d been rejecting for God knows how many years now. Was she stupid? What did she think she was playing at?

This was without shadow of a doubt a crossroads for her. One path, should she be able to bluff her way out of what just happened, led back to what was routine and safe, the other to unfamiliar territory full of possibilities offered before but stubbornly ignored. She had to choose before he had chance to react and make the choice for her.

Trying not to think, trying to ignore her rationality berating her for what could be the most damming mistake of her career; she looked up to meet his gaze, closed the small distance between them and kissed him again, their lips meeting, generating heat that made the summer's evening feel like the middle of winter in comparison. Whatever barriers that kept her from him over so many, many years toppled like dominos, as she finally gave into him.

She felt arms encircle her pulling her closer holding her tight, relishing the feel of his body against hers, her own arms resting on his chest. She could feel his heart beating, feel the firm exposed flesh where his robe opened, everything felt right in a way she could never have anticipated.

Their lips parted after what seemed like eons a new era dawning for the both of them. Kyoraku brought a hand up to Nanao’s face, tenderly stroking her cheek

“Are you sure about this, after all these years?”

She nodded, the expression on her face giving all the confirmation he needed.

“There’s no going back now, this is it” He added

“I know sir, I’ve made my choice and I choose this”

Their lips met once more, Kyoraku showing his agreement with her words, welcome and so long overdue, water splashing against their legs as he pulled her closer to him still.

“Drop the formalities my lovely Nanao, call me Shunsui” 

“Shunsui” she repeated, the sound of it spoken by her own voice alien to her. It would take some getting used to.

The use of his name, inflamed the eternal passion for the woman nestled in embrace. He desperately wanted to keep her with him for evermore, to never let her go. There would be time for that later. Once they were back. Time for embraces and much more besides, time for all those words he'd so often longed to say to her but never could. Time for them and whatever else may come. 

Breaking away, Kyoraku led them out of the water and back onto the land. Neither of them noticed the wet hems of their robes or the sand that stuck to their feet as they slipped on sandals and made their way back through the woods to the barracks.

At the edge of the compound, they paused, acknowledging the change between them since entering this place mere hours earlier and embraced once more knowing they would have to go their separate ways for tonight. There would be plenty to discuss come morning but it could wait until then. Why spoil the evening with details and bureaucracy.

One final kiss and Nanao was back in her room, sleep coaxing her reluctantly to her futon and into peaceful dreams, the heat no longer a problem. Tomorrow would bring a new dawn signalling a chapter of her life she never would have considered before this evening. Tonight was just one of many wonderful memories yet to come. 

This had been an unusual night indeed.


End file.
